E3 2012

For the first time ever, people who are not part of the video game industry will be able to literally walk up to the event venue where Sony's pre-E3 media extravaganza is taking place and get their own spot for the presentation. That is, if they happen to be one of the first 200 people to show up to said venue. Sony wants to ensure it has a cheering section.

After the admittedly bungled showing that was E3 2011's Wii U coming out party, it looks like Nintendo may still decide to keep the console's name after all. It has been speculated that the company may alter the console's title and say the "Wii U" was just its codename. But after ramped up marketing efforts, it appears Nintendo has no plans to do that.

Warner Bros will be releasing a new Harry Potter game using the Xbox 360's motion camera peripheral. The announcement was made ahead of next month's E3 trade show, where Warner Bros will be exhibiting and will no doubt be showing off the new game. Players will be able to scan their face with the Kinect camera to become their own character in the game.

The industry trade group responsible for setting up next month's E3 show insists that the event is not losing its importance. The ESA, or Entertainment Software Association, used to be one of the biggest powerhouses in the video game industry. It still carries a lot of weight as the primary organization for Congressional lobbying, piracy fighting, and legal support, but it doesn't have the clout that it used to.

Don't you just love this time of year? The final weeks leading up to E3 are full of speculation, leaks, and just general frenzied discussion about what the video games industry is set to be like for the next 12 months. The latest tidbit to make its way to the forefront is that a Castlevania game is in the works for Nintendo's portable 3DS system.

Nintendo will allow Spike TV's cameras into its E3 press conference next month. The cable network has confirmed that it will carry the presentation, in its entirety with no commercial interruption on June 5 at 12:00 PM Eastern Time. MTV2 will simulcast the event. Spike and MTV2 join G4 in tapping into what could be the largest television audience for the E3 press conference circuit to date. Nintendo will arguably the most anticipated because of the Wii U.

Although it may be best known for some of its graphically intensive game franchises on more powerful systems like the PS3 and Xbox 360, Capcom certainly has its hands in the Nintendo cookie jar. So there's no doubt that the publisher will have some titles for Nintendo's platforms to announce at next month's E3 trade show, but none of them will be playable.

Although not officially announced, it is now all but confirmed that the next entry in the very popular Lego video game series will be a block-toy adaptation of the Lord of the Rings movie franchise. Eagle-eyed enthusiasts noted that on the packaging for a new line of Lord of the Rings Lego toys, there are references to a related video game.

It appears there may be a fox-fronted space shooter game on tap for Nintendo's upcoming home console. According to a leaked report, the game will be unveiled at next month's E3 trade show. A lot of eyes are expected to be on Nintendo during the four-day event, since it will be the only company showcasing new hardware. Even so, it won't be entirely new.

For Nintendo, this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo will be all about new hardware - the Wii U was introduced last year but no one has really seen what its true potential - what it will actually bring to market on day one - is. So that's Nintendo; but what about Microsoft and Sony? They have a much bigger challenge if they want to prove their sexiness this year. There won't be a PS4, so what will Sony show?

After Sony and Microsoft have already confirmed their spot on the E3 press conference calendar, Nintendo has finally begun sending out invitations for its large-scale media event. Just like last year, the company will give its remarks at 12:00 noon Eastern Time on June 5, literally right before the E3 show floor doors open. It will be the final one of the major three pre-E3 events.